Yaddo gardens

These images showcase the garden that is one of the features of the Trask estate. They also stand as a testament to the continuing ability and usefulness of vintage, or legacy, lenses. Manual focus lenses from the 1980's and earlier have rekindled an interest with photographers that own mirrorless cameras. The ability to adapt these lenses has brought new life to some that would have just collected dust somewhere or laid quietly in someone's collection. This is being reflected in the prices and collectability that you can see on eBay. Some of the truly awesome lenses from the past..the high speed, the ultra wide, the super telephoto..are going for prices higher than they were as new. There are still good deals to be found in the less stratospheric classes though, if you take the time and look carefully and be patient. Lenses used here, for #5 through #18, were the Nikon Nikkor 105mm f2.5, the Olympus OM 55mm f3.5 macro, and a Minolta Tele Rokkor 135mm f2.8. All early 70's gems, especially the Nikon...that was one of their most prized lenses for many a year and by many a photographer. Another cool factor here is that, not only do I have something to collect, but they're very usable..not just collecting dust. Their use, being manual focus, immediately slows you down a gear or two. You need to think more about the process and study the image a bit..looking for the area that should be your focal point, giving you the depth of field you want. This is not a bad thing. There's also a sense of quality to using these lenses..the aperture control clicks nicely, the smooth, solid feeling of brass on aluminum focusing. Not unlike the Triumph motorcycle that Robert Pirsig rode in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values.